Holder for cleaning pads or the like



Nov. 22, 1938. L. STERN 2,137,631

.HOLDER FOR CLEANING PADS OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 20, 1936 INVENTOR LHHRENCE 575R N 7 (Qui AZAJ A 33 I ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOLDER FOR CLEANING PADS OR THE LIKE Application January 20, 1936, Serial No. 59,825

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to holders for cleaning or scouring pads, or pad materials. Said holders are intended primarily for use in connection with steel wool scouring pads but may be used with other pads.

One object of the invention is to provide a holder of the class described, constructed and arranged to obtain a distributed pressure over a substantial portion of the working surface of 10 the pad, when pressure is exerted on the holder in manipulating the pad.

Another object is to provide a holder for use especially with steel wool pads of triangular cross section.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holder of such construction that it may be readily secured to and removed from the pad.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder which is inexpensive to manufacture and yet advantageous in construction and use.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a holder having integral pad clamping and handle portions made of wood or other heat insulating material.

The above objects of the invention and other objects which might hereinafter appear are realized by the embodiment of the invention hereinafter described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the holder attached to a cleaning pad;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the holder removed. from the pad, showing the pad-clamping and handle members in pad-releasing position;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view of the padengaging end of the holder.

Referring to the drawing in detail, there is shown a pad holder I comprising two relatively movable elongated members I2 having confront- 45 ing surfaces between which a pad or mass I4 of steel wool or other compressible material may be clamped. Said members I2 are preferably made of wood or other non-conducting material, and are connected at one end by a metal spring clip it which tends to separate the opposite ends of the members I2. A slidable collar I8, constituted by a relatively rigid metal wire loop, encircles the clamping members I2 and is movable toward and away from the pad-engaging ends 55 of said members to releasably hold said members in pad-clamping relation and to release said members to permit the removal of the holder from the pad. The pad I4 is preferably triangular in cross section and comprises a spirally wound ribbon of steel wool.

Each pad-clamping and handle member I2 is substantially rectangular in cross section and tapers in width from the portion thereof which engages the pad toward its end to which the spring clip I6 is connected forming a shouldered portion 20. Said shouldered portions are engaged by the arms 22 of the spring clip I6, said arms having inturned ends 24 which the received in openings 26 in the members I2 adjacent the shoulders 28 on said portions 20. As best shown in Fig. 4, the arms 22 of the clip I6 are disposed in grooves 30 provided in the outer surface of said shoulder portions 20.

At the end of the holder, adjacent the spring clip I6, members I2 are designed to provide confronting surfaces 32 disposed to extend in diverging relation against the pressure of said spring clip I 6 when the collar I3 is moved toward the pad-engaging ends of said members to bring them into clamping relation. Accordingly, when the collar I8 is moved toward the spring clip I6 to release the pad, said spring clip forces the adjacent end portions of the members I2 toward each other, bringing the surfaces 32 into contact with each other and separating the confronting surfaces 34, as shown in Fig. 3, to permit the removal of the holder from the pad. It will be observed that the confronting surfaces 32 of the members I2 are in angular relation to the confronting surfaces 34 and that said members have a fulcrum or pivotal bearing engagement on each other in the region 36 between said angularly related surfaces 32 and 34, the confronting surfaces of the members I2 being slightly curved to improve the fulcrum engagement between said members. When the collar I8 is moved to bring the members I2 into pad-clamping relation, the arms 22 of the spring clip I6 separate somewhat but the inturned ends 24 are of such length as to remain in the openings 26.

An important feature of the present invention resides in constructing the members I2 in such manner that pressure exerted on the holder in manipulating the pad is distributed substantially uniformly over a relatively large surface of the pad. This is accomplished, in accordance with the present embodiment of the invention, by bevelling the pad-engaging ends 38 of the members I2. By thus providing the members I2 with bevelled ends for engagement with the pad, the

relatively large cross sectional area of said members is further increased so that the pressure exerted on the holder, instead of being concentrated in a small portion of the pad, is distributed over a relatively large portion thereof and undue compressing of the pad material is prevented with the result that the pad retains its shape for a longer period of time and in general has a longer life. The provision of the bevelled ends also causes the holder to be disposed in angular relation to the pad and thereby facilitates the manipulation of the holder. It will be understood that the term pad as used herein means any mass of cleaning, polishing, or scouring material, or any other material or article with which the present holder may be used.

While I have shown the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that certain changes in the construction and arrangement of parts may be made within the scope of the invention. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction herein shown or described, except as may be required by the appended claim or prior art.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A holder of the class described comprising two relatively movable elongated members of substantially rigid material, said members having confronting surfaces between which a pad may be held and adjacent flat plane end-surfaces at one end of the holder engageable on the pad to exert pressure thereon to force the pad against the object treated thereby, the flat plane end surface of each of said members being substantially larger in area than the cross section of said member whereby to distribute the pressure exerted on said pad over a relatively large surface area thereof, said members being substantially straight from end to end and the ends terminating in said larger surfaces being bevelled whereby said members are inclined upwardly from the work-engaging surface of the pad when said end surfaces are in engagement therewith and parallel to the work-engaging surface of the pad.

LAWRENCE STERN. 

